Nearly two years ago, authorities were made aware of an allegation that Jackson High School freshman basketball coach Scott D. Studer molested a boy during a sleepover.

The anonymous complaint — alleging a fondling incident sometime in the mid-1990s — was submitted by email to the Jackson Local Schools on Jan. 27, 2011. School officials alerted police, who attempted to contact the accuser the next day but had no success.

“At that point, we had no (corroboration),” said Schools Superintendent Chris DiLoreto. “You’re dealing with defamation issues and due process ... there was no victim. It made it a very challenging situation.”

Copies of that email complaint, a corresponding police report and related documents were mailed to The Repository last week. The Repository verified the authenticity of the complaint and police report with school and police officials.

DiLoreto said he didn’t mention the nearly two-year-old complaint in the days following Studer’s November arrest because Stark County prosecutors advised him it was part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

“We were not supposed to discuss it,” he said.

At the time of the allegation, DiLoreto was the district’s assistant superintendent. Cheryl Haschak was the superintendent. Although the 2011 police investigation apparently stalled due to lack of a victim, DiLoreto said he did meet with Studer and asked him if it was true.

“He denied it,” DiLoreto said, adding that he also questioned employees who interacted with Studer on a daily basis.

DiLoreto said no one else was aware of any similar complaints.

THE ACCUSATION

Studer continued in his roles as a high school building aide and freshman basketball coach until his arrest on Nov. 14 of this year.

He remains in Stark County Jail awaiting trial. He’s charged with eight counts of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance.

Studer has not been charged with a federal crime, but the U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized a computer and devices from his Pin Oak Avenue NW home — all believed to be related to his suspected purchase of child pornography.

Jackson Township police and the county prosecutor leveled local charges based on evidence collected by the Postal Inspection Service. That includes still images and videos of nude male student-athletes in high school showers.

Police said the 46-year-old Studer admitted taping boys, beginning in 2005, but he denied sharing footage. His attorney, James Haupt, did not return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment for this story.

The Jan. 27, 2011, email allegation began with: “I am writing this to notify your school you have a sex offender coaching your freshman basketball team, his name is Scott Studer.”

The writer went on to say that when he played basketball for the school more than 15 years ago, he spent the night at Studer’s home. He said Studer came into his room in the middle of the night, pulled the blankets off, aimed a flashlight at the boy’s genitals and fondled him. The writer said Studer left seconds later and the boy never told anyone.

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“It has bothered me for years and now I am an adult,” the email reads. “I am concerned he is still molesting other boys.”

A 1984 Jackson High graduate, Studer began coaching basketball at the school that winter. He was hired as a full-time high school building aide in 2000, greeting visitors and accounting for their whereabouts in the building.

Jackson Township Police Lt. Rick Mitchell said the 2011 anonymous accusation is under investigation and declined further comment.

Police have identified nearly 100 boys who were allegedly taped by Studer. Mitchell said detectives have still have another 25 videos to examine in their effort to identify all the victims.

Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Chryssa Hartnett said she’s bound by ethics not to discuss the Studer case. Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank Forchione has been assigned the case.

SCHOOL DOCUMENTS

For weeks, Jackson school officials have been collecting boxes filled with documents to fulfill a police subpoena and a public records request by The Repository.

That process began with a letter from DiLoreto to all district employees on Nov. 26. In it, he asked them to turn over any communication involving Studer.

The superintendent said the district also examined 4 million computer files on its server, searching for any that contained the name “Studer” or Studer’s email address. DiLoreto said they found 7,160 files. They then determined the content of 5,830 files should be thoroughly reviewed.

Of those, DiLoreto said only four items contained sexually-related allegations against Studer:

• The Jan. 27, 2011 anonymous email to the district.

• An email the next day from Jackson Police detective Jason Collins to the anonymous victim, asking him to contact police.

• An anonymous email received on the evening of Studer’s arrest, indicating that Studer had been a problem for years. This complaint appears to be unrelated to the 2011 allegation, and came from a different email address than the one used in 2011.

• An email a week after his arrest, from a 1981 graduate who said that residents and parents had long suspected Studer of inappropriate activities.

DiLoreto responded to the latter two emailers, suggesting they contact police if they had any information about Studer.

Under Ohio law, school employees are among the professions mandated to report any suspicions of child abuse to authorities. DiLoreto said the Jackson Local Schools did that by immediately notifying police in 2011.